Family is Forever
by Xx.LoveIsABlessing.xX
Summary: Ty/Amy. A surprise family member brings about big changes for Ty and Amy, as well as Heartland.


**Chapter 1**

Amy was making the morning feeds with Ben when Ty's truck came up the drive and parked beside Ben's. She heard him coming and looked out of the barn curiously.

"Ty's never late." Ben murmured beside her, an eyebrow raised as they watched the young male get out of his truck and start towards the barn. It was easy for both of them to see the odd look on his face. He looked deep in thought, and his thoughts couldn't have been very good from the worry on his features.

"Is something wrong?" Amy asked once Ty reached the barn. He looked up in surprise, clearly having not noticed them watching him from the doorway.

"How long have you two been standing there?" He asked, sending them a lopsided grin that didn't reach his eyes.

Amy noticed the caution in his eyes, and she knew Ben did as well as he frowned at Ty.

"Are you alright?" Ben asked Ty, his brow furrowing in concern as he watched the younger man.

Ty seemed to hesitate, almost as though he was _thinking_ about lying to them, but decided against it. He let out a deep sigh and ran his hand into his dark brown hair, "To be honest, I'm a little bit worried. Dad stopped me this morning on my way here and said that him and Mom have to talk to me when I get home tonight. The whole reason I'm so late is because I tried to get them to tell me this morning, but they wouldn't. They said they didn't have all the details yet, but they would have them all by the time I got home."

Amy and Ben watched him closely.

"Do you think it has something to do with you working at Heartland?" Ben asked. He knew that Ty's dad, Brad, had been worried about him working at Heartland, especially after an accident that had put him into a coma. But he had thought that things had gotten better between Ty and Brad after Amy and Ty had helped to save some horses that Brad had unintentionally been hauling across the country.

"No, I'm pretty sure it has nothing to do with that. Mom was on the phone a lot yesterday, but I don't know who with or what about. I heard one word, and it was Georgia." Ty said.

Amy's heart dropped to her stomach, "You don't think they're going to make you move to Georgia, do you?"

Ty let out a breath, "I have been thinking of that, but I'm nineteen. Legally, they can't make me move."

"If you need to, you could stay with me awhile." Ben offered and Ty smiled at him gratefully.

"I really appreciate it, Ben." Ty said quietly and Ben smiled at him, but Amy saw that the worry for his friend was still in his eyes.

"Anytime, Ty." Ben said.

An impatient whinny from the barn pulled their attention back to the task at hand; feeding the horses.

"Let's just get to work, I really just want to keep my mind busy and not worry about it for awhile." Ty said and Amy and Ben nodded in understanding.

The three of them went into the barn and started back to work on the chores, starting with feeding the hungry horses of Heartland.

_**FiF**_

"Is Ty alright? He's working himself really hard. He wouldn't even take a break to go on a trail ride with us." Soraya asked as she and Amy walked their horses along the trails behind Heartland.

Soraya was on a ten year old paso fino gelding named Bomber who'd been sent to Heartland as a last resort to stop his biting habit. So far, with the use of herbs and other alternative techniques, the bay was slowly starting to relent to the idea that biting was bad.

Amy rode a seventeen year old grey thoroughbred mare named Missy who had been brought to Heartland after being found abandoned along a dirt road. She'd been badly emaciated and covered and welts and bruises. It had taken months, but Missy was finally ready to be rehomed.

Amy sighed, "His parents are supposed to talk to him tonight when he gets home and he has no idea what its about. He's really worried."

"Are _you_ worried?" Soraya asked her next.

Amy paused to think on that, "Yes, I guess I am. I mean, he said he heard his mom talking to someone on the phone about Georgia, and he doesn't know if they're not going to try and make him move there or not."

"Surely they wouldn't move all the way to Georgia? You and Ty have been together for two years now! They can't expect him to just leave you like that!" Soraya protested.

Amy swallowed, the fear that Ty might have to move to Georgia creeping in on her even though she'd been fighting it all morning. "I don't know Soraya. Brad's job may have moved him, we have no clue and won't know until Ty talks to his family tonight."

Soraya watched her friend from the corner of her eye and noticed the tense way Amy had started holding the reins in her hands, "Hey, let's not worry about it right now. Let's just ride and concentrate on the horses. Everything will be okay, just you wait and see."

Amy sent her friend a grateful smile, "That's a good idea. Want to canter?"

Soraya nodded eagerly and Amy shortened her reins, sending Missy into a canter. Soraya sent Bomber right behind them, the gelding eagerly quickening his pace.

They rode along the trail, heading back towards Heartland after a little while, letting the horses trot when they started back.

"For a seventeen year old, she sure does have a lot of energy!" Soraya commented as Missy pranced on effortlessly.

Amy laughed, "Yeah she does! You never would have guessed that when she first got here, would you?"

"Not in a million years!" Soraya agreed and laughed with Amy as Missy, as though sensing that they were talking about her, snorted and held her head a little bit higher.

They rode back into the yard a few minutes later and Soraya pointed to the schooling ring.

"I don't think Ty's having a good time with Jonquil," Soraya said worriedly.

In the ring, Ty was trying to get the three year old mustang filly named Jonquil, who'd been sent specifically for Ty after his success with mustangs before her, to lead over poles for him, but the dapple buckskin wasn't having it. She threw her head high into the air and reared, her black front legs thrashing the air as she whinnied shrilly.

"Jonquil!" They heard Ty call to the filly and her ears pricked at his voice. She came down and snorted, keeping her head up high as she looked at Ty.

"Ty, are you alright?" Amy called worriedly as she and Soraya trotted over to the fence on their horses.

Ty looked at them and Amy realized that he was distracted, even as he worked with Jonquil. He was still worried about his family and that worry was feeding through to the sensitive mustang, making her question him and all his work with her.

"I'm fine." He called to her and Jonquil snorted, as if telling Amy that no, he wasn't. He turned back to the filly and frowned at her as she looked at him warily. He seemed to realize what was going on and groaned, running a hand into his hair and turning away from her, going to the fence. He crossed his arms over top of the fence and put his head down on his arms.

"Ty?" Amy asked in alarm, dismounting and handing her reins to Soraya.

"I'll go put up the horses." Soraya told her and Amy sent her a grateful smile as Soraya rode towards the barn, dismounting and leading the two horses inside, allowing Amy to focus on her stressed out boyfriend.

"Ty maybe you should put Jonquil up. You're too stressed out to work with her and focus on her like she needs." She whispered to him, running her hand over his back comfortingly.

He nodded and pushed himself to sit up, "I know. I'm not being fair to her by not giving her my undivided attention, and its only messing up all the progress I've made with her. Just let me put her up real quick."

Amy nodded and stepped away from the fence, "I'll go wait by her stall."

He smiled at her gratefully before turning from the fence and cautiously approaching the wary buckskin behind him. She snorted at him and pawed the ground, as if demanding why he was being so weird that day.

He sighed, "I'm sorry, Jonquil. I've got a lot on my mind and its not fair for me to think about that when I'm supposed to be working with you."

Jonquil's ears flicked and she shook herself before moving towards him, as if sensing that he needed her. He smiled at her and offered her his palm, letting her nuzzle him before he cautiously reached over to pat her neck affectionately. Thank God the last three weeks of work hadn't been for nothing.

"Come on, girl. Let's get you inside." Ty picked up the lead attached to Jonquil's rope halter, which had been specifically requested for by the owner. When Jonquil went home, she would only be worked with a rope halter and her owner didn't want to swich from a regular halter to a rope halter and throw Jonquil off. He was a good horseman, but at the age of sixty-six, not up to the task of actually gentling his new mustang.

Now, Jonquil went beside him like a little angel, waiting patiently as he got the gate and lead her out. She yawned as they walked up to the barn.

As she'd said, Amy was waiting for him at Jonquil's stall. She opened the door for him and stood back as Ty lead Jonquil in. The filly saw Amy and snorted at her. For a little while, she'd been jealous of Amy getting close to Ty and she'd even went so far as to lash out at Amy one day, trying to get Amy to back off.

Though she'd done better lately about being civil towards Amy, which seemed a lot easier for her to do when Ty wasn't around, she would still pick a fight some times when she saw Ty and Amy alone together.

Ty slipped Jonquil's halter off of her head and stroked her neck as she nuzzled into his chest before he stepped out of her stall, which though she'd only been living in for a few days she had claimed as hers and hers alone. There may as well have been a _No Amy's Allowed_ sign on the stall door.

As Ty went to put away the rope halter and lead combo, Amy went after him, following him into the tack room. She heard Jonquil's angry snort as she went into the room after Ty, but she ignored it. She needed to help Ty right then.

"Ty, maybe you should take the rest of the day off. You're not going to be able to focus on the horses with this worry on your mind. You've done so much; cleaned the stalls, cleaned the yard, swept the barns, took care of the feed order, and stacked up the hay. You're out of things to do!" Amy told him, watching him sink down on a bale of hay and bury his head in his hands.

"I'm honestly scared about what's going to happen when I go home, Amy. I don't know what they have to say to me. I mean, what if they are wanting to move to Georgia? What do I say to that?" Ty asked, lifting his head to look at his girlfriend.

She saw the anxiety and stress darkening his emerald green eyes.

Sitting beside him, Amy put her arms around his strong frame and held him close. He laid his head on her shoulder, his eyes closed as he tried to relax some of the tension from his frame.

"Maybe you're right." He whispered after a few moments of silence. "Maybe the sooner I get it over with the easier it'll be on me. I'll have it over and done with and I won't have to stress over what it is anymore."

Amy nodded beside him and stood, taking his hand as they walked together to his truck. He took a breath and pulled his truck keys from his pocket, opening the driver's side door and turning back to Amy. She stood on tip toe to kiss him good bye, then took a step back as he got into the truck and shut the door.

"Everything's going to be okay, Ty. Just you wait and see. I'll see you in the morning." Amy told him as he started the truck.

He let out a breath, "I hope you're right. I love you."

"I love you too." She told him.

He gave her a brave smile before putting his truck in reverse and backing up, turning and slowly going down the drive. Amy watched as he turned and his truck disappeared onto the road.

_**FiF**_

Stepping outside the next morning, Amy looked up just in time to see Ben and Ty's trucks pull into the drive and go to park. Her heart leapt; she'd been worried about Ty all night, praying that his talk with his family went well. Now she'd finally be able to find out what had been said.

As Ben got out of his truck, he looked to Amy and they locked eyes. She knew he was just as worried about Ty as she was. Much to their surprise, Ty got out of his truck with a bright grin on his face.

"Morning!" He called to them as they walked over to him.

"I take it things went okay with your parents?" Ben asked as they got close.

"They did. I'll tell you guys about it at breakfast, right now let's just get started on the feeds. I have a lot to tell you guys!" Ty said, an excitement in his voice that they hadn't been expecting.

It didn't take long to get the feeds done, not with all three of them going as quickly as they could to try and hurry up and get inside. By now, Lou and Jack were up and making breakfast; Amy had went in earlier to let them know what was going on and they were just as curious about Ty's news as Amy and Ben were.

"Okay, inside and let's hear this big news of yours!" Amy said as she put the last of the feed buckets on the floor of the feed room.

She, Ty, and Ben started up towards the house, Ben and Amy both glancing at Ty curiously as they walked. They wanted to know what his big surprise was, really badly.

Stomping their boots off before they went inside, they found Lou and Jack in the kitchen, plates of eggs, bacon, and toast already on the table and waiting, glasses of orange juice beside them.

"Now tell! We're all here!" Amy gasped as Ty walked over to the table and sat down beside a plate.

"You don't want to eat first?" Ty asked her teasingly.

"You're just wanting to keep everyone else in suspense." Ben accused playfully and Ty laughed.

"Alright, alright. What we talked about was a side of my Mom's family." Ty said.

"Really?" Amy asked in surprise, sitting down beside him and watching him take a bite of a piece of bacon on his plate. He nodded and swallowed before continuing.

"Yeah. They own this huge horse ranch in Georgia. It's my Mom's cousin Tyler Cass who owns the ranch, him and his wife, Lisa run it with their son Colton. Mom hasn't been in touch with Tyler since they moved to Virginia, apparently Mom and Dad moved up here when I was two or three. Yesterday Mom got a phone call from Tyler and he was saying how he and his family were going to be in the area because Colton is in this big reining competition. She told them about my work here are Heartland and they really want to see this place and meet everyone." Ty explained.

"That sounds amazing!" Amy said.

"Are you excited to see them? You don't remember them, do you?" Ben asked after chewing a bite of egg.

"Really excited. Mom said Colton is only a year older than me and she figures we'll get along really well. I don't remember them, no." Ty said.

"So he competes in reining? Isn't that a western sport?" Lou asked.

"It is. He can explain it when he gets here. Mom said that he got on the phone and talked to her and he's really excited to see me." Ty said, his eyes lit up with the excitement of meeting a cousin who loved horses just as much as he did.

"When are they getting here?" Jack asked Ty.

"This Thursday. Friday Colton is competing and then they're going to stay until next Sunday." Ty answered.

"That's good, you boys will have plenty of time to get to know one another." Jack said.

"So do you know what his horse is like?" Ben asked Ty.

"Mom didn't think to ask about that. All she knows is they call it Quick Silver." Ty said.

"Quick Silver. So we can assume it's a grey horse." Lou said.

"That's what I'm guessing." Ty said as he lifted his glass to take a drink. Amy glanced at him and saw the unbridled excitement in his eyes. She smiled softly, excited herself to meet Ty's Southern family.


End file.
